Ok, chiming in with my 2 Cents........

I started off with an acoustic, and it really helped my finger dexterity. Yes, I also agree that you "learn" how to play cleaner, as you really need to focus on what strings and how hard you hit them. But if you're sloppy on the acoustic then you just carry over the same traits over to the electric. It's easier to "hide" your mistakes on the electric, because of the thinner strings, lower actions and a mountain of distortion to go over it, plus you don't have to fret so hard because it's amplified.

On the other hand, things like scales and solos are definitely easier to learn on the electric and you'll just frustrate yourself with them on an acoustic. I'm not saying you CAN'T solo, quite the opposite (Paco De Lucia? Al DiMeola? McLaughlin?)...... but you'll need much more practice and longer to develop those kinds of skills.

So back to the task at hand, congrats on deciding to pick up an Electric...... I would suggest checking out the Yamaha Pacifica and their starter sets as they make some really nice guitars. If you want to buy them separately, you can always get the yamaha pacifica (Maybe around the RM450 price mark) and then our favorite little practice amp, the Roland Microcube (Around RM350). The rest of the left over cash you can get cables, a tuner, a strap, a few picks (you'll ALWAYS lose them) and a spare set of strings.

We used to recommend the SX guitars, but these days, it's more of a lucky draw on getting a good guitar..... some I've tried lately are just horrendous. Yamaha at least is quite standard.

You can get the Yamaha at beatspot and the Roland microcube at Bentley, or just give our forumer DeadEye a PM and see if he can get you a good deal on those.

Good luck, and Rock on!

I think 800 is already the limit, so let's not confuse the poor fellow with suggestions of guitars that are priced higher then that. For a student, it's incredibly hard to even come out with RM100 extra..... let alone 500 bucks......

Yes, The Pacifica is really versatile because of the added humbucker....... In fact, one of our earliest members, led_zep_freak "cut his teeth" with a pacifica before stepping up to a Fender.... and that lasted him a long time.....

So yes, the Pacifica will last you for a bit.

But like I said, find out how much some of the new GRGs cost too..... Or just try them out for yourself at Bentley and see what you like......

Hmmmmmm..... If that's the case, I highly suggest an Ibanez RG320 or similar guitar. Also, you might want to consider bumping up to a better amplifier since the microcube as good as it is, might not last you forever.
Right now, the Vox Valavetronix series are HIGHLY recommended and the AD15 or the bigger AD30 would be a good fit. Costs around the RM550-700 prince range.

If you still decide to stick with the same Yamaha/Microcube, maybe you can invest in a Multi-FX pedal instead? Something like the Zoom 2.1u would be a great place to start as it has an expression pedal and you get to play with Wah effects.

Rikipu, completely disagree with you there mate.

An amplifier is one of the cornerstones of your tone. We always have this equation: Sucky Amp + Amazing guitar = Sucky tone
Average Amp + Average guitar = Decent tone
Amazing Amp + Sucky Guitar = Bearable tone.

It's not whether he performs regularly or not.... the feel of playing through an amplifier and playing through headphones are two completely different feels and methods of playing.

But yes, with that budget, a guitar like the lower midrange Ibanez RG and maybe a Vox AD30, throw in a Wah pedal and you're good to go.

Yup. Totally forgot about that one Ever!
Get a decent guitar that can last you a long time (I'm STILL using my Epiphone LP100..... after lots of modifications of course ) and an amp that suits your tone. Then whatever you have left, maybe can invest in a multi-fx unit with an expression pedal....

To me personally.
If 800, get the Yamaha Pacifica + Roland Microcube
if 2500, get the Ibanez RG + Vox 30AD.

And it's microCUBE, not microTUBE.........

although if they DO come out with a 15w Valve amp, the Microtube would be an Awesome name